The Count of Monte Cristo

By: Alexandre Dumas

Narrated by: John Lee

Audie Award, Solo Narration - Male, 2009

Dashing young Edmond Dantès has everything: a fine reputation, an appointment as captain of a ship, and the heart of a beautiful woman. But his perfect life is shattered when three jealous friends conspire to destroy him. Falsely accused of a political crime, Dantès is locked away for life in the infamous Chateau d'If prison. But it is there that Dantès learns of a vast hidden treasure. After 14 years of hopeless imprisonment, Dantès makes his daring escape and follows his secret map to untold fortune. Disguised now as the mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo, Dantès seeks out his enemies - and nothing will stand in the way of his just revenge.

Filled with thrilling episodes of betrayal, romance, and revenge, The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest adventure stories ever written.

Public Domain (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Still My Number One Book Ever from Audible

It's been over a year since I've listened to this book and it still rings in my ears. With 30-some books read from Audible, this is my favorite. John Lee did an amazing job making this story absolutely engrossing! I recommend this book to anyone that will listen.

Hate the prose, LOVE the book.

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

One of those grand epics like Les Misérables and David Copperfield that does more than create a world the reader temporarily inhabits. This is a novel which creates a whole grand revenge myth. I would second Umberto Eco's take that this is one of the "most gripping novels ever written, and on the other hand one of the most badly written novels of all time and all literatures."

This is a story of an Übermensch/Byronic hero and the grandfather of all revenge and psychological thriller novels. I remember the first time I read 'Les Miserables', I almost read straight through. Now, 25 years older, I don't have the same reading endurance, but the feeling of urgency and addiction was close. I read this in 3.5 days (while working full-time and giving token attention to family duties). 'The Count of Monte Cristo's' plot doesn't just push you forward, rather it tosses you down cliff after cliff.

I give it four stars for the obnoxious writing, repetition of bad adjectives, and unnecessary descriptions of unnecessary events in a book that is already 1200 pages. While I'm not a big believer in editing or abridging a writer's work, Dumas would have been a bit better served with a modern, aggressive editor. For that I leave off one star ... perhaps one day I'll add it. For now, I will just 'wait and hope.'

A true classic

I have read the Count at least 3 times, not including the audio version I just completed, and this rendition is wonderful. The narrator does a very commendable job, I will listen to this again and again.

What a Book! Worth The Time Investment

This is a wonderful book read by one of my favorite narrators. This story is so full of love, hatred, revenge, nobility, and friendship. It keeps you enthralled through its long hours and meandering twists and turns. Do not be put off by the time investment required to get through the many hours of listening. What a great way to spend 40+ hours, and what a bargain for that credit you are looking to spend!

Outstanding Audio Book

Having read The Count of Monte Cristo many times, I was skeptical that an audio book with only one narrator would be able to capture the book's depth and subtlety entirely. I assure anyone thinking of buying this version that the audio book delivers well beyond expectations. While the narrator is not always consistent with his intonation for specific characters' voices, he still makes listening to the story almost as enjoyable as reading.

Superb Storyteller

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Impossible to put down. The narrator is excellent.

Challenging and TOTALLY worth it!

What did you love best about The Count of Monte Cristo?

The intricate plot is fascinating and weaves through a past time and foreign places in a way that makes you feel that you are there.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eugenia Danglar was my favorite character because she was the only woman in the novel who was not evil or avaricious and still had a real backbone. All other women characters were either sweet and wimpy or clever and evil.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This book is so long that it is really a great one to have read to you versus reading it for yourself because you can still do laundry or clean house while listening. Reading the book would be a delight but would require so much dedicated time. However, this would have been a difficult book to listen to but for the outstanding narrator. The many French names would have been difficult to keep straight without seeing them in print had the narrator not been so very good at helping the listener keep easy track of the conversations between characters by assuming distinctive speaking styles and accents for each character. He even had specific ways of conjuring the different personas of the Count so you had a real image in your mind of how Edmund was presenting himself in each situation.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Wait and Hope

Any additional comments?

It takes until about halfway through the first section of the book for the story to really get going and it is not until about the 3rd section of the book that the plot totally pulls you in. If you stay with it though, you will understand why this book has become a

Great book well read

Wow. This may be my favorite audiobook ever. The narrator was excellent and the story captivating. Few books make me look forward to a day in the car, and this was one of them. It starts a little slow, but bear with it.

Wonderful experience

Listening to this book- each part - awakens in the heart and mind of the listener the chapters of ones own life. While the drastic events may be ones of fiction the principles described are ones eternal and always relevant. The balance of justice and mercy- the recognition that God alone is the perfect arbiter of these are beautifully told in this novel.

I highly recommend this book and this reading- if one is not moved by it I would wonder if one were truly listening.

Long but good

This book started out a little slow and I was frustrated with the obvious bad luck that was coming the main characters way. It eventually picked up and got better, but I sometimes found the fact that the Count was always in the right place at the right time sometimes way beyond belief and it kind of detracted from the story. No one has that kind of luck. But overall, I really enjoyed the book.